1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and machines for use in cutting and finishing disks of marble from marble slabs or sheets.
2. Desription of the Prior Art
In the past the manufacture of disks of marble for use as table tops, pedestals, sculpture bases, and for other decorative and structural purposes has largely been carried out by hand. To manufacture a disk of marble according to conventional techniques, a slab of marble is placed upon a central support with the edges of the slab overhanging the support. A pattern is first traced by hand with a template upon the marble slab to be cut. Frequently the pattern is a circle, since slabs of marble of disk-shaped configuration are required more frequently than slabs of any other configuration.
According to the conventional techniques, a workman proceeds to cut a disk of marble from the marble slab using a hand saw or a hand-held power saw to follow the circular pattern. Because marble is extremely hard, the procedure is very time consuming and tiring. As the workman tires the accuracy of conformity of cutting to the pattern often suffers. Furthermore, the pattern is frequently obscured by the dust produced from sawing, thereby making it even more difficult to follow the desired pattern.
Once a marble disk has been cut from a slab, the edges of the marble must be ground with a polisher to impart a glossy appearance to the edges which will match the appearance of the flat expansive surfaces of the marble slab. According to conventional practice, this task likewise is performed by hand. Again, a workman with a hand-held manually operated or power driven abrasive tool, such as an electric sander, must manually sand the cut edges of the marble disk. This procedure is extremely labor intensive, time consuming, and therefore expensive. Furthermore, worker fatigue in finishing the edges of the cut marble slab sometimes results in only a mediocre finish on the cut marble edges.